The 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists (2013)

During the twentieth century, a biocultural approach to the study of human remains from ancient Nubia was developed as large numbers of cemeteries were excavated during archaeological rescue projects south of Aswan, Egypt. Our understanding of ancient Nubia is based mainly on sites between the First and Dal Cataracts (southern Egypt to northernmost Sudan) because few skeletal samples from Upper Nubia and central Sudan (Third Cataract to the south of the Sixth Cataract of the Nile River) existed prior to the 2000s. Recent bioarchaeological fieldwork and research on human remains from sites south of the Dal Cataract have added significantly to our understanding of ancient Nubian societies from the Paleolithic to Christian (medieval) periods and demonstrates considerable variation from Lower Nubian mortuary contexts. Innovative and theoretically informed bioarchaeological research is advancing our understanding of colonialism, social practices including dental ablation and sacrifice, and the health consequences of conflict and illnesses arising from infectious diseases (e.g., brucellosis) and metabolic conditions (e.g., scurvy). This symposium aims to bring together for the first time researchers working on Upper Nubian and central Sudanese samples to share findings on aspects of health, identity, and mortuary practices. Discussion of these issues and the similarities and differences encountered in various locations and between Upper and Lower Nubian groups will stimulate further research and collaborations within these regions.